Stages of Labor

Description

Labor describes the uterus' efforts (contractions) to push the fetus out of the birth canal.

Stages

Childbirth labor is continuous, but can be divided into 4 distinct stages.

# Stage 1
During this stage, the woman should prepare herself to push the baby out from the uterus and into the world. This stage can be divided into 2 parts, the latent phase when the uterus opens to 3 cm, and active phase, during which rapid cervical dilation occurs and the uterus opens completely to 10 cm.

# Stage 2
During this stage, the uterus has opened completely and expelled the fetus through the birth canal.

# Stage 3
The placenta is delivered during this stage.

# Stage 4 This stage describes the hour after the placenta is delivered; it is an important time, because there could be bleeding. Duration time

# The duration of each stage depends on the person and, especially, the amount of previous childbirth experience. Stage 1 and 2 are short for experienced mothers, because the uterus will open quickly and the ligaments connecting the pelvis and its substructure have been previously stretched.
# If the woman is in labor, without any type of induction and having a natural birth, then the average durations for normal deliveries are as follow.